Obama Leaning on Clinton for Egypt Advice

President Barack Obama is probably pretty happy right about now that he appointed Hillary Clinton as secretary of state. That’s because he’s leaning on her big-time for help with his Egypt policy, Politico reports.

Hillary Clinton

Clinton has a 20-year friendship with the family of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak – a relationship that has sparked heavy criticism from human rights advocates. It was the secretary of state who offered the idea of sending Frank Wisner, U.S. ambassador to Egypt during the 1980s, to Cairo to relay Obama’s urging to Mubarak not seek a new term as the country’s leader, an administration official tells Politico.

And Clinton appeared on five Sunday morning talk shows to let Mubarak know that the time has arrived for a “peaceful transition to real democracy,” not Mubarak’s “faux democracy.”